


And On Nights Like These

by congratcha_well_done



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) RPF
Genre: Drinking & Talking, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M, RPF, Smoking, boys night out, more like boyfriends night out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-05
Packaged: 2018-02-03 11:22:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1742975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/congratcha_well_done/pseuds/congratcha_well_done
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had started out as another one of those beautifully lazy nights. Brian had cut filming early because of a script discrepancy and the whole cast was making their way back to their respective trailers. Not a half hour after Michael had changed into more comfortable clothing and opened his first beer did a text appear on his phone. It was James.</p>
<p>"And I tried last night to pack away your laugh, like a key under the mat. But it never seems to be there when you want it." -Arctic Monkeys</p>
            </blockquote>





	And On Nights Like These

It had started out as another one of those beautifully lazy nights. Brian had cut filming early because of a script discrepancy and the whole cast was making their way back to their respective trailers. Not a half hour after Michael had changed into more comfortable clothing and opened his first beer did a text appear on his phone. It was James.

 

'Up for a night?' it read. Michael was quick to reply and in no less that 10 minutes was James at Michael's door. 

 

 "So what exactly is this night going to entail?" Michael was curious. 

 

"Just trust me," James commanded with a slight laugh. 

 

And it occurred to Michael that he wanted to keep that laugh so very close to him. "You never have to ask," Michael trailed off. Maybe that was too heavy to actually say out loud. But either way, it was true. 

 

"Good." James seemed to grasp the gravity of the statement and a brilliant half smile graced his face, quiet and ethereal. 

 

After a comfortable silence James picked up the conversation again, "Hugh, Jen, and Nick should be here in a few minutes."

Michael just nodded, not ready to talk yet. 

 

True to James' words, a few minutes later a raucous clamor was observed outside before the trailer door swung open and Jen sauntered in before the two boys. 

"Hello, hello, darlings!" Hugh effectively broke the comfortable silence and James and Michael turned to look at each other with raised eyebrows. It seemed that Hugh had already started the partying. 

 

The next few minutes had found the merry group once again exiting the trailer and rejoining the cool night air. Zipping up his jacket halfway Michael looked up at the sky, it looked so dark and heavy tonight, none of the stars could be seen. He might have used the term sticky, but it didn't seem quite applicable to a thing like the night sky. 

 

Jenifer hung back from the pack a moment to get in league with Michael, "Why so quiet?" She asked with a teasing expression. 

"Just a little tired, that's all." He replied halfheartedly. To be truthful, he didn't even know why. Glancing up again at the empty sky he realized he was playing a loosing game. But maybe it wasn't too bad. 

 

Once they had reached their third bar and Michael still hadn't had so much as one conversation the group began to notice. After several martinis Michael was sufficiently buzzed and his face split into a wide grin as Nick slid into the seat next to him.

 "Hey buddy! How ya doing tonight?" Shit. He came off way to cheerful. Now this talk was imminent. 

 

"How are you doing Michael? Because I've been watching you tonight, and you don't look all that alright." Wow, way to drop one on him like that, Michael thought dryly. He didn't answer and Nick took it as a signal to continue. 

 

"Actually I've been watching you watch James." Damn, he'd been caught. Still choosing silence he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "I think you need to go talk to him." It was more of an order than a suggestion Michael realized, as Nick began to rise to leave.

 

"Wait." Nick paused. "What do I say?" Michael was genuinely confused.

 

"Tell him what's on your mind." Nick advised before turning to go. Swallowing dryly Michael also rose and walked in the direction of James. 

 

James could feel someone lurking in his peripheral vision but decided not to turn around. Instead he called for another whiskey and wondered where his friends had gotten to. He spotted Jen and Hugh deep in conversation with another woman he didn't recognize. Letting his eyes roam further he found Nick talking to a gaggle of girls. Strangely though he couldn't locate Michael being that the two had been trading off staring at each other the whole night.

 

 He began to entertain the idea that he had simply left for the night but suddenly, he realized he knew exactly who was lurking in his peripheral vision, burning a hole in the back of his head. All the sounds and scents of the bar had been muted, it was just Michael and James, together, orbiting around each other like the sun and the moon.

 

 James slowly spun around on his stool, as if it was a test. But he was just buying time. He wasn't ready to talk to Michael, but not because he wasn't sure how he felt. It's because he was unsure of how Michael felt. 

 

Watching James spin round his chair like that Michael felt that some horrible surprise was about to be unveiled but he stood his ground. He took a few steps towards James and managed a slight "Hey." Met by a small nod. Taking it as an invitation to sit down Michael asked the bartender for a whiskey before turning his whole body to face James. 

 

As the younger man looked up Michael was suddenly very uncomfortable in the presence of him. He wanted to give up and turn away from the attention he had been vying for for the last fifteen minutes as he felt his collar begin to get hot. Michael suddenly stood, he couldn't take it. He rushed out the bar doors and found a wall to lean against as he pulled out a cigarette. 

 

James reluctantly sighed and followed Michael out, wishing that he was anywhere else. Once he found him leaning against and ally wall with a cigarette pressed between his lips James' heart began to melt. Why did the bastard have to look so fucking perfect all the time?

 

 He paused in the entrance to the ally watching Michael's chest rise and fall, inhale and exhale. He slowly walked up to him, now sure that he was being ignored intentionally. Deciding to break the revere he muttered a soft, "Hey." Just as Michael had. After several seconds of no reply James decided to press further, "Do you wanna talk about it?" Still more silence. James cursed himself for being too fucking cliché. 

 

"I don't know." That was the truth too, Michael realized. He wasn't sure he was ready to know how James felt. But he knew it was coming regardless. 

 

"I... I want to tell you..." James took in a ragged breath.

 

Here it comes, Michael thought. Ultimate rejection. He tilted his face up to the sky pinching his cigarette between his fingers, he didn't want to see it on James' face. 

 

"I want you to know..." Now a bit steadier. 

 

Michael's eyes roamed across the sticky black sky looking for a distraction, vaguely wondering who told the stars that they weren't coming out tonight. 

 

"...that you never have to ask either. I love you." The words tumbled out of his mouth in a cascade of feeling. James finished, frozen, so fearful of what Michael was surely going to say next.

 

Michael's head snapped down to look at James, not quite believing what he heard. 

 

 James, taking the stunned silence as rejection, began to backtrack, "That is if... Was that what you were saying?... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..." He felt like running away.

 

"No, no, no! Me too..."Michael sprung toward the smaller man and grabbed his shoulders, he needed James to know this. "I... I love you too, James." There. He said it. 

 

"Really?" James breathed, afraid to believe. 

 

"Really." Michael leaned in, and in that moment he knew where all the stars were hiding. They were in James' eyes, trapped in the most beautiful, blissful expression he had ever seen. His world turned golden, and James let out a relived little laugh. Michael wanted to keep it, pack it away, like a key under the mat. Because tonight the stars had fled to James' eyes. 

 

When their lips met it was a crash of drums and lighting. Everything and more. Needless to say, the night passed with a lot more of those kinds of kisses and the stars remained hidden. This time, in both of their eyes and never again in the sticky night sky. 


End file.
